


Partnered Up

by 15dogs



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas at Hogwarts, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Defense Against the Dark Arts, F/M, MWPP Era, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Mutual Pining, New Year's Eve, New Year's Fluff, New Year's Kiss, New Years, Oneshot, Pining Remus Lupin, Project Partners, Reader-Insert, School Project, imagine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:02:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28441344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/15dogs/pseuds/15dogs
Summary: You and your long time crush, Remus, get partnered up for a Defense Against the Dark Arts theory project. However, once you realize you two misunderstood the assignment, you’re both forced to stay over winter break with each other to make it up.december writing challenge with the prompt new year's kiss!
Relationships: Remus Lupin/Reader, Remus Lupin/You
Comments: 1
Kudos: 51





	Partnered Up

**Author's Note:**

> cross-posted from tumblr (@15-dogs)

Remus couldn’t take his eyes off of you. You whispered with Lily at the desk in front of him while your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor turned his back. 

Remus’ eyes trained on you, watching your every movement. He was absolutely enamored with the little things you did: the way your nose scrunched up when you laughed, the way your fingers drummed on the table while you spoke, the way your eyes would shift between Lily and the professor, seemingly taunting Remus but just grazing over his figure.

“Moony!” Sirius hissed, nudging Remus.

“What?” Remus finally looked away from you to eye his friend.

“Would you just go talk to her? I think I’m going to lose my mind if I have to see you ogling her every day.”

Remus’s brow knit together with annoyance. “What are you talking about? I don’t fancy her.”

Sirius’ eyes shot open with a taunt. “I never said that you did.”

Remus shook his head, looking away from Sirius back towards your seat. “It was implied,” he grumbled.

When Remus looked at your desk, you were gone. He searched around the room for you and realized that no one else was in their seats. His eyes continued to scan the room until a soft and familiar giggle interrupted him. His gaze snapped up to yours as you stood by his side.

“Were you listening?” you teased.

“I...er…” Remus’ cheeks heated up as he rubbed the back of his neck.

You nudged his shoulder with your hip, your hands clasped behind your back and eyes at the front of the classroom. “I’m just messing with you. We’re partners for this assignment, Lupin.”

His eyes lit up and his stomach flipped as he jumped to his feet. “Really?”

“Yeah, really,” you chuckled. You nodded your head for him to follow as you said, “What do you want to do for the assignment? I was thinking that we could do a series of essays or a collection of data composed into a journal of our works— something research based, preferably.”

Remus scuffed his feet along the tiling, finding it much more comfortable to stare at the ground. You stopped when you realized that he wasn’t following you. You ducked down to meet his eyes with a lazy smile tugging at your lips that had him weak in the knees.

“Let me guess,” you began, “you weren’t paying attention then, either?”

“I...no, not really.”

You reached out to take his hand in yours, making his heart lurch. You had no idea what you were doing to him, your delicate grasp around his calloused palm. Having the girl he fancied for years be so close to him coupled with his heightened senses was dangerous, to say the least; your smell was intoxicating and he was doing everything he could not to act on his feelings then and there.

“What’s got you so distracted, Lupin?” Your voice grounded him and he attempted to push his thoughts about what he wanted to do to you down, deep in the back of his mind. “You’re usually so on top of your game. You may even rival Lily for wits.”

Remus quirked a brow. “That must be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me,” he joked. You dipped your head in silent laughter.

“I aim to please.”

“Well, you’re doing a great job.”

A wide smile crept onto your face and that familiar feeling of butterflies occupied your stomach as you stared down Remus’s lopsided grin. You quickly let go of his hand, fearful that the feeling would stay permanently if you kept holding it. You rubbed your hands on your sweater before clasping them in front of your body, rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet.

“Anyway,” you sighed, “we’re doing a project on Defense theory.”

“Oh,” he scoffed with a sense of conviction, “then research-based, of course. When is it due?” 

“Monday before winter break.”

Remus pulled a horribly crumpled paper out of his robe pocket, unfolding it with haste. “I’m tutoring every day after classes except for Fridays.” He finally looked up at you, his piercing blue-green eyes staring straight through you. “Could you meet me at the library after class on Friday?”

You nodded lamely, feeling as if you couldn’t get words out of your mouth. “Yeah, Friday after school works for me.”

“Brilliant.” Remus crumpled up the paper once more and stuffed it into his pocket.

As Remus’ friends appeared by his side and escorted him from the classroom, you had a strange feeling settle in your stomach: you weren’t too sure that you could wait until Friday to talk to him again.

••

Days came and went, each more meaningful than the next as Friday approached. You had no idea what had you so anxious in your last class. You were bouncing your leg up and down as your distracted eyes scoured the classroom. Lily nudged you a few times, whispering an answer under her breath when the professor called on you.

Nearing the end of class, you and Lily were working on an assignment together when she asked, “What has gotten into you?”

Your brows knit together as you eyed your friend. “Is it that obvious?”

An amused smile tugged at the corners of Lily’s lips. “Is this about Remus?”

“And what if it is?”

“Then I’d say you fancy the boy.”

You nudged Lily, rolling your eyes. “Sod off.”

Lily knew about your not-so-little crush on Remus, even before you had told her aloud. You knew he didn’t feel the same so you constantly checked yourself to make sure your emotions were under control around him. 

So, at the end of the day, you made your way as calmly yet quickly as you could to the library, hoping to spend a little more time with him to justify your feelings. You didn’t see him there when you arrived but you weren’t discouraged, rather you found a secluded desk that just barely gave you a view of the entrance so you could wave him over.

But time kept passing and you kept waiting. You checked the clock above the shelves of books, hoping maybe you screwed up the times, but you didn’t. You then began to ask around to see if it truly was Friday, which it was. And then, worst of all, you began to think that you misheard him and blew  _ him _ off.

You waited there for a few hours, deciding to make yourself busy with work. You started the project, checking out a few books and developing your thesis.

You tried to work in the library just in case Remus showed, you really did, but everyone was just too loud. Your head pounded and your tiredness overtook you, so you picked up your things and walked down to the hospital wing in hopes of some draught for your pulsing headache.

As you entered the wing, books in hand, you heard faint whispers from familiar voices surrounding a single bed, piquing your interest. You rounded the corner, finding three boys talking to another boy in a bed. Not just any boy, but him.

“Remus?” you asked. 

The three boys whipped around, eyes wide and heads shaking as you approached. “You shouldn’t be here,” James warned.

You ignored him and butt through the crowd to find Remus, asleep and bandaged in his cot. You gasped, staring at the bloodied cloth that was pressed against his cheek. “What happened to him?”

The boys began to mumble excuses, all of which hit your tuned out ears. You frowned, pulling a chair from beside an empty bed to sit next to Remus’s sleeping form. You pulled your bag onto your lap, unloading a few books and papers onto the nightstand.

“What in Merlin’s name are you doing, (Y/L/N)?” asked Sirius.

Without looking up, you stated, “We have a project due on Monday and I’m not going to wait to start it.” You finally met the boys’ eyes, yours serious and matter of fact while they were in complete shock. “Besides, I’ll keep Lupin company. Go on, now. I’ll watch him.”

“(Y/L/N)-” James began before Sirius cut him off, eyes wide and nodding.

“No, no, Prongs. Let her stay, Remus will want to see her when he wakes up.”

You pretended not to hear him but your cheeks were dusted with a rosy blush. Sirius clapped you on the back, evoking a small chuckle from you as the boys scooted out of the hospital wing.

As soon as the boys left, you stopped fiddling with the papers in your lap to look up at Remus. You frowned at his scarred face, your hand curling to stop yourself from holding his. He looked so peaceful for the first time in quite a long time, and you realized that you didn’t think you could look away. So you scooted your chair over, freeing your nondominant hand to hold his as you worked on the assignment, a fleet of butterflies occupying your stomach.

You had fallen asleep still holding Remus’s hand later in the night once you had cleared things about your appearance with Pomfrey. You only woke up when you felt someone pulling the papers out of your lap. Your eyes fluttered open, seeing Remus frowning as he held your notebook in one hand and gripped the mattress in the other.

“Did I wake you?” he asked before cursing at himself under his breath. “That was a stupid question, I know I just woke you up.”

You chuckled lightly. “It’s fine, Remus, I should’ve been working on the project anyway.”

The sandy haired boy awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed that you had brought the project up. “Sorry I haven’t been so helpful with that. I ended up...getting into a fight on Friday?”

You furrowed your brow. “I’m sorry, was that a question?”

“Yes…?”

You began to laugh again, but this time Remus joined you. “Well, whatever happened to you, you’re fine now. I’ve been talking to Pomfrey and she assured me you’ll be out of here on Monday.”

“What day is it?”

“Saturday.”

Remus sat up straight in bed, tugging your notebook fully onto his lap. “Shit, well, we need to start this project then.”

••

Spending the entire weekend with Remus was heavenly. You two worked day in and day out to finish your research paper, editing everything down to the last period before Defense Against the Dark Arts.

As you entered the classroom, you felt a wave of sadness wash over you; no more excuses to be alone with Remus anymore. You frowned, tugging your robes tighter around your body as you imagined what it would be like for him to hold you.

The time came for you two to announce the synopsis of your paper so you stood at the front of the class with him, straightening out your tie with a shy smile. Remus held up the thick stack of papers you two had written up with a proud glance down at you.

“Miss (Y/L/N) and I have written up a paper on the practical applications of Defense theory-”

“Mr. Lupin,” Professor Wallace interrupted, “you  _ do _ know that— if you were to do practical theory— you have to design a demonstration, yes?”

You looked up at him, a shared expression of panic on both your faces. Remus finally peeled his eyes away from you to shake his head gently at your professor who simply huffed, pointing you back towards your seats. Students began to whisper and giggle at your misfortune, reveling in the sheer schadenfreude that they experienced as yours and Remus’ ears went red with embarrassment.

You could barely pay attention during the rest of the presentations. It ate you up inside how Remus might only remember you as the girl who helped him flunk his project in Defense. You were so consumed by that thought that you didn’t even realize class had ended until Remus tapped you on the shoulder.

“Hey, I didn’t know about it either. Don’t be upset,” he whispered. “I hate seeing you upset.”

You flashed a soft smile at him, a warmth blossoming in your chest at his words. You chewed your bottom lip to contain yourself from positively beaming at him as you nodded, feeling more overwhelmed with your feelings for him than before.

“Mr. Lupin and Miss (Y/L/N)?” Professor Wallace called from the head of the classroom as students exited. “Please come here. I’d like to discuss your project.”

That warmth died immediately and was replaced by a crippling fear that started low in your stomach, a void that sucked in all the good things that Remus made you feel. 

Remus hopped up from his chair alongside you and walked up to the desk, his lips pressed in a firm line. “Professor, this was all my fault-”

“What in Merlin’s name are you saying, Remus-” you shot out. Remus was not going to take the blame for you, you wouldn’t let him.

“I wasn’t paying attention. Don’t give Miss (Y/L/N) a poor grade just because of me-”

“Don’t say that! It was my fault, Remus, and you know it-”

“Silence! Both of you! Please!” Professor Wallace’s voice began to falter at your bickering. He rubbed both of his temples with one hand, his eyes clenched shut. “I understand that you were ill over the weekend, Mr. Lupin, and I also understand that being a prefect has its tolls so I’m allowing you lot to make up the assignment.”

You and Remus let out a sigh of relief, exchanging a quick grin at one another.

“We really appreciate it, professor-” As soon as you started, you were cut off.

“But I’m not going to make this easy. You two must stay here over break and there will be more work than before. I want to make sure that you’re really listening to my instructions this time around.”

You desperately wanted to protest but you simply couldn’t; you didn’t quite have the words. You weren’t going home for break in the first place but it seemed rather unnecessary to add more work onto what you had already completed with Remus. Judging from Remus’ knit brows, he was having the same dilemma as well. So you two accepted the assignment, not knowing that that break would be the start of something wonderful and new.

••

Although the assignment had an increased workload, it was easy to spread out among the two weeks that you were given. The best part of all was that you got to spend time alone with Remus in the castle where there were no more than 20 other students to bother you.

On Christmas night, you sat in front of the fireplace editing your essay as Remus practiced spells on a small paper crane he had folded. You looked up for a moment, smiling at how peaceful and handsome he looked with his sleeves rolled up and shirt untucked.

And, entirely unlike you, the words just...came out of your mouth. “You’re quite handsome like that, you know.”

Remus blushed, his eyebrows raised as he slowly turned his head to face your mortified expression. “I...thanks.”

You cleared your throat awkwardly, looking down at your paper again. “Right, yeah.”

But that wasn’t the last time something of that nature happened. Remus told you he was “driven mad” when he saw you practicing your spells for the demonstration, and you promptly told him that he drives you mad, to which you both stopped talking to each other for the rest of the night out of sheer embarrassment.

Perhaps it was the fact that you two were cooped up together for nearly a week and a half then, or perhaps it was the fact that you two had felt something there for quite some time but neither of you had the guts to do anything about it. Either way, both of you were acting entirely stupid around the other, wondering if they knew by now how you felt about them.

The days leading up to your presentation dwindled and so did the time you had to spend with Remus. You assumed that he likely would not want to talk to you afterwards and just want to spend his New Years alone, seeing as how he must be positively sick of you. So you found it rather strange when you finished your (outstanding) project, that Remus settled beside you on the couch in the common room with his old radio so you two could listen to the New Year’s Eve countdown.

“In my town,” he explained, “we used to gather in the center and celebrate New Years. I quite liked it. First year not being there.”

You cowered. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault that you’re not there now.”

Remus shook his head furiously, wrapping his arm around the back of the couch where you sat. “I wasn’t going home this year anyway. And, besides, (Y/N), you didn’t do anything wrong.  _ I _ was the one who was distracted.”

You crossed your legs and swung around to face Remus, admiring his scars. “You keep talking about being distracted; what were you distracted about in the first place?”

“Funnily enough,” he began, scratching the back of his neck, “it was you.”

You snorted and shoved Remus playfully, although he didn’t seem to be smiling. “Come off it, mate.”

“I’m not joking. I remember it because you looked particularly beautiful that day.” Your eyes went wide at his words and you were unable to speak, so he continued on. “You always look beautiful when you take notes. You chew your bottom lip when you write a long sentence down and you give a little nod when you understand something. It’s all very adorable, if you ask me. I couldn’t stop staring at you and Sirius called me out on it.”

You were positive that your face was redder than the fire that illuminated you, your hands sweating as you tried to rub them on your pants as inconspicuous as possible. You could barely focus on anything but your ever-beating heart, pounding ferociously in your chest. The only thing that you could hear above it was the 30 second countdown coming from his radio.

“Have you ever had a New Year’s kiss, Remus?” you asked, your voice just barely louder than the announcer’s.

Remus leaned in closer, his hand inching up to your waist and curling around it. “I haven’t.”

“Neither have I,” you admitted as you crawled up close to him. “But I fear that I’ll be making a rather large mistake if I don’t do this tonight because Merlin knows when I’ll get the courage to do it again.”

“ _ 3...2...1! Happy New Year! _ ”

The second the words registered, you held Remus’s face in your hands, pulling him into a long overdue kiss. Your world spun around you as his lips moved perfectly in sync with yours, feeling like they were supposed to be there all along. You pulled away a moment later, placing one last chaste peck as he followed your lips, desperate for more. Remus rested his forehead against yours, his calloused hand running its course down your cheek before he tugged you onto his lap, clasping his hands around your back.

“I have to admit,” you began, “I’ve never been more glad to flunk a project in my life. Starting the New Year this way is good luck, I believe.”

Remus chuckled, pulling you closer to him to plant yet another kiss on your lips. “Well then, love, I suppose we’ll have plenty of good luck this coming year.”

As your heart eased into a steady rhythm and your worries dissipated, you smiled and mumbled against him, “I suppose we can never be too careful.”

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr (@15-dogs) and wattpad (@15dogs)!!


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